Tuesday, 29 April 2014

Creme Egg Chocolate Drizzle Cake for a blogiversary

It may seem rather late to be posting an Easter cake. Easter was over a
week ago. However I started my blog seven years ago with a birthday
cake for my husband, E. Ever since I have had a blog tradition of
posting his birthday cake to celebrate my blogiversary. We usually
share a cake with my family. This year due to the craziness of school
holidays, Easter and ANZAC Day in April, we took a cake to Easter lunch
to celebrate his birthday with family.

I had had plans for a fun cake for E's birthday - but as we had decided
to celebrate it as part of Easter lunch, as soon as I saw Karen's cake
on Lavender and Lovage I wanted to make it. There was the added bonus
that is was spectacular without requiring too much work down at my mum's
place where we were having lunch.

I have reproduced the recipes I have used. I made a few changes, including making my own chocolate and cream cheese frosting because I couldn't find the ready-made one Karen suggested. (Even though it had been there other days. Grrrr!) Mine was a bit less spreadable but tasted lovely.

I also had problems with the white chocolate drizzle. I melted the
white chocolate in the microwave and it was never drizzly enough. My
mum later suggested sitting it over a bowl of boiling water to keep it
from setting. I added some cream to make it go further but it still was
hard to get to run down the sides - it just wanted to roll down in
dollops. We also wondered about using cream instead of white chocolate
to match the inside of creme eggs.

Speaking of which I found not all the creme eggs oozed as they should but there was no shortage of volunteers to help dispose of recalcitrant eggs.

The cake looked great on the Easter sideboard with the salt dough eggs we made at home and the dough eggs my nieces made. It was very dense and very intensely chocolate. This made it excellent for sharing. Just a small slice was enough.

E later commented that the cake was more my sort of thing than his. But it was Easter. That means celebrations, chocolate, and spectacle. It was also my brother in law's birthday and my blogiversary. Poor E didn't get his own cake this year. I have promised him a boring vanilla cake soon. Everyone else was suitably impressed.

As for the seventh anniversary of my blog, I can't believe it has been so long but somehow I am still going. I do a round up of changes on my blog at each New Year so I wont repeat it all here. However I will just note that I took away my wallpaper background recently. It felt a bit tired. White seems the modern thing to do. (You can see how it used to look on the page on my previous blog designs.) I am still not sure if it will stay like that. But change is nature of blogging. What do you think of the white look?

To make the cake, mix all ingredients together in a powerful mixer OR if you have less power beaters like mine, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy, beat in the eggs, then yoghurt, then remaining dry ingredients until the batter is creamy and quite thick.

To decorate, first make the chocolate cream cheese. Beat together cream cheese and icing sugar until creamy. Melt dark choc chips. Beat into the cream cheese mixture until well combined. Place one cake (top down) on a serving plate. Spread half the cream cheese mixture over it. Place other cake, (bottom down) on top of the cream cheese mixture and spread the top with the remaining misture.

Melt white chocolate with a tablespoon of cream and drizzle in blobs down the side of the cake. (To keep the white chocolate really well melted have it sitting over a bowl of hot water so it doesn't start to set.) Use a sharp knife to cut the Creme Eggs in half. Arrange 8 to 10 halves around the edge of the cake and scatter choc chips over the cake.

Happy blog anniversary Johanna. Maybe happy years of blogging ahead. I've been following you for just about as long as you have been posting to your site. Adore your recipes. I like the white background too. Cleaner and easier to read your musings and recipes.

Happy Blogoversary Johanna!You've come a long way!!! I like the white. I do remember the changes you have done through the years. I think it's time for a change on my blog but I just can't seem to find the time. (I haven't even used the dot come I finally "bought."

It's too bad E wasn't as pleased with your decadent festive cake. I would love this cake for my birthday, lol...I'm sure he will be thrilled when he gets that "plain ol" cake when you bake it.

Your cake looks fantatbulous! I'm sure it was a hit at Easter time. I sure wouldn't mind a piece right about now:)

May you have many, may more years of enjoyable blogging, Johanna. I just love dropping by for a visit. Thank you so much for sharing...

Seven years? Wow! That is very impressive. Surely you deserve some kind of long-service medal - aren't internet years a bit like dog years? I like your new look - it took me a while to work out what was different, but I like it. Less busy. You've made me wonder if I should do the same thing... I feel my blog desperately needs a makeover, but there's just a small matter of not much time in which to do it!

Happy 7 year anniversary Johanna! That is an amazing length of time. This cake looks like just the thing to commemorate it, even if E would prefer his plain vanilla. I am certain Mr Bite would have been ecstatic to get this on his birthday, or Easter - as it is, he had plenty of chocolate cake and plenty of creme eggs, but not together. The mix looks very pretty.

Your comment on my last post highlighted to me just how long you have been blogging (2008!), and I love the link to your sticky date pudding. Carrot and parsnip hidden in pudding is definitely my kind of thing too!

Congratulations on 7 years of blogging! You must have been one of the pioneers! I love the look of your cake and cream eggs are just the best. I don't think there's been an Easter when I haven't over-indulged. I like the look of the white background - I'm finding it easier to read and yes, blogging is all about change, change, change. I must do something about changing the look of my blog too xx

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About Me

Recipes and reflections in which our vegetarian heroine dreams of being tall and graceful as a giraffe; being a goddess in the kitchen; and being gladdened by green gadgets, green food and green politics because green is the colour of hope. See About Me for more info.